Md. Code, Education § 7-308
This is the official text of Md. Code, Education § 7-308, part of Maryland’s Code, Education — governs public schools and universities in Maryland.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§7–308.
Official statutory text
(a) A principal, assistant principal, or school security guard of a public school may make a reasonable search of a student on the school premises or on a school-sponsored trip if the searcher has a reasonable belief that the student has in the student’s possession an item, the possession of which is a criminal offense under the laws of this State or a violation of any other State law or a rule or regulation of the county board.
(b) (1) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (2) of this subsection, a county board may authorize a teacher of a public school to make a reasonable search of a student on a school-sponsored trip if the teacher has a reasonable belief that the student has in the student’s possession an item, the possession of which is a criminal offense under the laws of this State or a violation of any other State law or a rule or regulation of the county board.
(2) To qualify to conduct a search under this subsection, a teacher shall be designated in writing by a principal and receive training to conduct a search commensurate with the training received by a principal.
(c) A search under subsection (a) or (b) of this section shall be made in the presence of a third party.
(d) (1) A principal, assistant principal, or school security guard of a public school may make a search of the physical plant of the school and its appurtenances including the lockers of students.
(2) The right of the school official to search the locker shall be announced or published previously in the school.
(e) The Department shall adopt rules and regulations relating to the searches permitted under this section.
(b) (1) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (2) of this subsection, a county board may authorize a teacher of a public school to make a reasonable search of a student on a school-sponsored trip if the teacher has a reasonable belief that the student has in the student’s possession an item, the possession of which is a criminal offense under the laws of this State or a violation of any other State law or a rule or regulation of the county board.
(2) To qualify to conduct a search under this subsection, a teacher shall be designated in writing by a principal and receive training to conduct a search commensurate with the training received by a principal.
(c) A search under subsection (a) or (b) of this section shall be made in the presence of a third party.
(d) (1) A principal, assistant principal, or school security guard of a public school may make a search of the physical plant of the school and its appurtenances including the lockers of students.
(2) The right of the school official to search the locker shall be announced or published previously in the school.
(e) The Department shall adopt rules and regulations relating to the searches permitted under this section.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.